Thursday, November 19, 2015

Suddenly, tens of millions of Americans paused to reflect upon the thought that perhaps there is something good to be found in everyone, even the most wicked:

ISIS has threatened to bomb New York City in a newly released video, just days after vowing to attack Washington, D.C.

The slick clip features shots of yellow taxis and crowds in Times Square and Herald Square in Manhattan, with vibrant French music playing in the background - a nod to the Paris terror attacks on Friday.

It then cuts to a man wrapping a bomb around his waist before walking into the crowds and pulling the trigger.

New York police have issued a statement to say they are aware of the footage.

Throw in Los Angeles and ISIS will soon have as much support in the USA as in the UK.

Here's one thing people should keep in mind: the Bataclan concert hall was, until very recently, Jewish-owned. So there is a reasonable chance that if ISIS strikes the USA, it is going to do so at the symbols of Jewish power in America.

If I were in counter-terror, I would look carefully at the NFL and NBA teams that are Jewish-owned, such as the Vikings, as potential targets. Especially the Vikings since the newly imported Somali community in Minnesota has already produced jihadists, and specifically, suicide bombers.

It should be interesting to see how all the good liberals who have been rambling on and on about how Islam isn't to blame for the lethal jihadist attacks react to being directly targeted themselves. In the meantime, everyone across the West should carry, practice situational awareness, and stay out of soft target areas as much as possible.

This isn't going to end until Reconquista 2.0 is complete, so don't think it's going to end anytime soon. No amount of bombs dropping in the Middle East is going to deal with the threat to the West. "Fight them there so we don't have to fight them here" has proven to be the complete failure I said it would be back in 2001.

'Once ISIS is eliminated as a governing entity in Syria and Iraq, the threat from ISIS will persist, said Rep. Adam Schiff of California, senior Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee. 'There is a continuing aspiration to strike in the West. It's a real and present danger to the United States and our allies.'

This is why: "13% Of Syrian Refugees Support IS." And to think we thought californication was bad....

"In the meantime, everyone across the West should carry, practice situational awareness, and stay out of soft target areas as much as possible."

In addition, the terrorists are probably more likely to attack when a place is more filled with people. So if you and your family go to a place that will probably be a target some day it's safer to go on a Wednesday night than a Friday or Saturday night.

"Of the 859,629 refugees admitted from 2001 onwards, only three have been convicted of planning terrorist attacks on targets outside of the United States and none was successfully carried out. That is one terrorism-planning conviction for a refugee for every 286,543 of them who have been admitted. To put that in perspective, about 1 in every 22,541 Americans committed murder in 2014. The terrorist threat from Syrian refugees in the United States is hyperbolically over-exaggerated and we have very little to fear from them because the refugee vetting system is so thorough."

>>planning terrorist attacks on targets outside of the United States <<

If Russia can hit them in the wallet that's close to game set and match for the Syria theater at least. "he who funds terror is a ..............." And what happens to them ........... follow the yellow brick road, oil pathways.

I captioned the picture of the bloody concert hall with "Dey was poor Syrian orphans, dey dindu nuffin wrong."

Graphics are usually more effective for mocking people. It's harder to argue back against a passive third party's image. People who are still arguing for gun control or open borders are just insane or shills. My God, people, it's the current year! Just mock them.

"In the meantime, everyone across the West should carry, practice situational awareness, and stay out of soft target areas as much as possible."

I've been ranting and raving about this stuff for the last week or so. One of my friends wanted me to go to a church, and I said, "No way if it's a gun free zone." That was kind of a shocker to her, but now a lot of my other friends are asking about if a church is a gun free zone.

As a New Yorker, I can say an attack will almost certainly be with a bomb and not a gun. There are just too many cops and cameras around, and a coordinated attack with guns would likely be stopped before it started.

As an aside, I am always disappointed at how Vox and the Ilk take some pleasure at dreams of New York's destruction. It makes me feel a bit like Abraham to bargain with this crowd by pointing out the good people in NYC, but it's absolutely true that a lot of good people would die in a New York attack.

I work in Manhattan, live in Brooklyn, and own no gun or motor vehicle. For both financial and personal reasons, I have to stick around even when I know the bullseye upon which I live. Should an attack come, I would ask you all to pray for us. We'll need it, even if you think we're all a bunch of damn Yankees.

The only reason fighting them there instead of here failed is because the very people saying that were bringing them here by the boatload. Tempes handled the problem at home first, then dealt with fighting them there, not here, quite successfully. Other than the fact that many of his kin were the cuckservatives and "liberals" (sellouts) of his day, and ended up murdering him. On the good side, his strategy was so good muslims didn't want to even risk playing that game again for a very long time, satisfying themselves with murdering each other. You really can teach muslims.

First, though, Western militaries aren't geared up for it. They apologize when civilians get killed. They arrest soldiers who may or may not have gone off the deep end. While some discipline is required, it shouldn't be as it is. Aggression is more important than diplomacy at the boots level. If they are to be arrested, it should be for being too passive. Though those types should simply be put in, with others like them, where sinking or swimming is the only option.

The tactic works, it just hasn't ever been tried. Read their lips all you want, but watch what they do. They have never only fought them over there. Nor have they fought them well over there. Call them liars, but don't say the tactic fails because liars failed to use it.

The wise thing to do would be to get the hell out of that city. Seriously, if you want to get biblical about it... Lot shouldn't have moved to Sodom.

We certainly can (and will) pray that good people (in this context meaning civilized) are spared, but that city is long awaiting its inevitable judgment.

Even sinful Americans are offended by New York. How much more it must offend the Lord!

God used the Assyrians and Babylonians as tools of His judgment, even as they seized Hebrew women and children and dashed some of them against rocks.

I'm not saying ISIS is God's judgment, but I'm not saying they're not either...

But bottom line. You haven't even begin to understand just how much we here HATE New York, DC, and the nuttier places in California. As a Yankee, you don't even understand how deeply the Civil War (War of Northern Aggression) still affects Southrons.

Hell, Yankees at large still don't understand why sodomy is a big deal.

I can tell you all as a matter of hard, cold fact that there is NO stomach here in Washington for shutting down the flow of refugees. There is constituent-driven opposition, but it is for public relations purposes only. Everyone here knows that there will be no real stoppage of the flow, especially after last night's appearance in a conference call with the White House of the following religious leaders speaking out against any stoppage:

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Chairman Bishop Eusebio Elizondo:

You haven't even begin to understand just how much we here HATE New York, DC, and the nuttier places in California. As a Yankee, you don't even understand how deeply the Civil War (War of Northern Aggression) still affects Southrons.

Are there good people living among the Yankees, who have repeatedly stabbed the original concept of America and those who uphold it in the back? Yeah, sure. Am I going to feel bad when they get inevitably caught in the crossfire? Probably a bit.

Cato... To put that in perspective, about 1 in every 22,541 Americans committed murder in 2014

What happened to that Cato that I loved that was willing to cite black numbers for comparison? Whoring out to Soros I see.

How could San Francisco not be on the list?

They are smart enough to only take in the poor that would sell their bodies.

31 As a New Yorker, I can say an attack will almost certainly be with a bomb and not a gun. There are just too many cops and cameras

Grapeseed- How did that labor day 2011 67 shootings happen? Do cameras work on blacks since 98% of known gun crime in NYC is Black/Hispanic? Does Mayor Blasé let the baboon bikers have free reign like Bloomers did?

It makes me feel a bit like Abraham to bargain with this crowd by pointing out the good people in NYC

You better hope moslems don't take out one of the 10 straight guys left. Maybe you should buy those 10 body armor.

Even sinful Americans are offended by New York.

After Hurricane Sandy people couldn't stay out of the NYC bath houses long enough to be cleaned up, leading to a gay meningitis outbreak.

I am always disappointed at how Vox and the Ilk take some pleasure at dreams of New York's destruction.

Perhaps if you had lived somewhere else and had NEW YORK NEWEW YOOORRRRKKKHHH shoved in your face for your entire life despite a complete lack of interest in it, you would.

I know there are good people in New York. But it would be a genuine pleasure to never ever hear anything about New York City, the Yankees, the Mets, Wall Street, the Knicks, Central Park, Jerry Seinfeld, etc ever again. Seriously, even Romans, even Londoners, even PARISIANS are less obnoxious all the time.

In my entire life, I have known two native New Yorkers who did not alert me to that fact in every other sentence. Apparently being from New York City explains literally everything you need to know about an individual's thoughts and actions. See, you have to understand that....

I can tell you all as a matter of hard, cold fact that there is NO stomach here in Washington for shutting down the flow of refugees. There is constituent-driven opposition, but it is for public relations purposes only

So who is pushing the agenda? I certainly believe you, and what that means is the problem won't end until the people pushing this are removed from positions of influence. We should know who the real enemy is. I think we all have at least a vague idea, but sooner or later it'll be time to get specific.

While I don't wish them any active harm, I do very much think that New England and New York should be a separate country, preferably one that enjoys its commitment to diversity more in fact than it does currently in word, particularly 98% European-American Vermont.

I posted this on the other thread but it was pretty much played out. Can someone recommend a Biblically sound author to put the old testament wars and laws into context? Also things like slavery in the New testament. I'm looking for apologetics on things that tend to come up in conversations with non-Christians, like sperg atheists, who think the Old and New Testament are barbaric, the works of a vengeful evil God, etc. Thank you.

Sure, but when is the last time Congress listened to religious leaders? My assumption is those "religious leaders" are just part of the PR crew and not the actual ringleaders, but would appreciate any additional light you could shed.

Look, I know why people here feel that way about New York. It is a bastion of libertinism, for sure. And being a focal point in the lives of media, screenwriters, and actors doesn't help perceptions, either. I have lived elsewhere for a good portion of my adult life, but now I am here for the indefinite future.

And even if you don't care about me all that much, think of it this way - even the most hard-hearted rebels among you has to realize that a catastrophic attack on New York would not only kill people, but destroy billions or even trillions of dollars of infrastructure as well. That's your infrastructure too, because it would be rebuilt at great cost to everyone else in the country (and given our monetary policies, perhaps the world as well). So even if you don't care about our lives, at least care about your future wallet.

Go ahead and criticize New York - it won't bother me at all. Call us obnoxious and point out our naval gazing - we probably deserve it. But there's a barely concealed bloodlust here, and I am ruefully compelled to come to New York's defense as a matter of pride, knowing full well how it appears to this audience and how much a target it makes me.

@45 Jack Amok - As I said, it's largely an issue of ideology, and it's much too complex a subject to address here. I suppose the short-answer is that anti-racism is a hallmark of this ideology and support for any measure which could plausibly be attributed to racial or national origin animus marks one as outside the realm of acceptable political discourse.

My wife works as secretary at our church. Not only is it NOT an Unarmed Victim Zone, there are a few members the pastor has specifically asked to always cc on Sunday mornings. They told my wife she is welcome to carry during the week, as wellGotta love small-town Midwest.

That's your infrastructure too, because it would be rebuilt at great cost to everyone else in the country (and given our monetary policies, perhaps the world as well).

You're right; only a nuke would work well enough.

knowing full well how it appears to this audience and how much a target it makes me.

Are you one of these idiots that think hearing "Excuse me sir, but do you have a moment to talk about Jesus Christ?" is scarier than hearing "Allahu Akbar!"?

I mean, do you not realize that leftists such as these hailing from the leftist hive of scum and villainy known as New York City are trying their hardest to turn Christians into bloodthirsty Crusaders by recreating the medieval conditions, except with a lot more insanity?

Forcing us to approve of men scraping shit from another man's asshole was just the beginning. And bringing in Muzzies, because NAMALT, isn't going to make things much better.

@46: What do you think is being done to OUR infrastructure where we ACTUALLY LIVE with all of the immigration shenanigans being foisted on us today? It didn't escape your notice that the states targeted to receive "Syrian" "refugees" are not bastions of blue voters, did it?

Yeah, I know, I know. That's DC, not NYC.

At this point, we don't really make a distinction anymore between the Left Coast, most of New England—especially urban New England—and DC. They're all bound in the same anti-American treasonous hive mind.

Gapeseed, you chose to live on the slopes of Vesuvius. There is nothing we can do to help you. I hate the idea of Americans being attacked anywhere. But the mountain has been rumbling for over sixty years. Someday it will blow.

But bottom line. You haven't even begin to understand just how much we here HATE New York, DC, and the nuttier places in California. As a Yankee, you don't even understand how deeply the Civil War (War of Northern Aggression) still affects Southrons.

I am a member of an Antiochian Orthodox Christian parish. Our Patriarch usually resides in Damascus when not in exile due to evil messes like the current one. Our priests and bishops have been beheaded, women and children enslaved and martyred.

As a Texas born, Merkin' bred Micksican this is a difficult time for me, and it is personal. My heart aches to welcome my displaced, hunted and persecuted brethren with open arms to the US and Texas.

But I must consider whether this is even best for them. Should they make their home in the country that arguably has contributed much to the destruction and chaos in their homeland? By calling for and supporting the removal of yet another relatively stable, secular government in the ME the US gov't once again achieved these highly foreseeable results. Apparently the version of democracy American wants to impose on the ME morphs into a deadly virus when let loose upon its victims.

No, Russia is the only "Christian" nation now acting on their behalf, and perhaps they will welcome them, or maybe other eastern European nations with deep, century old Orthodox ties to them. At this time I think this is the best I can hope and pray for.

"44; Can someone recommend a Biblically sound author to put the old testament wars and laws into context?"

I would recommend "Biblescholars.Org" If I copied it right "http://www.biblescholars.org/ " Dr. Roy Blizzard has a doctorate (I believe) in Hebrew, spent time In Israel and helped with digs of the Temple Mound and other ancient ruins after the Six Day War. Worked with eminent Jewish teachers in the country like David Fusser. His knowledge of the foundations of the Jewish concepts should help. He has always been willing to answer any question that has not been asked. He has articles in the archives that may already cover your questions.

Putin will strike at the head of the snake. He will deliver a mind shot so powerful that both Islam and the West will be speechless. Expect a nuclear/cobalt strike on Mecca, regular nukes on Medina, and Saudi oil fields. Good for Russian and Texan and Dakota oil production. Istanbul and the Turkish-Syrian border could also glow. Putin would tell NATO we have more you know if they do protest too much.

As a man who was raised to think of himself as an American, I have no desire to see any more terrorist attacks on American soil.

I do think that as identity politics has eroded the self-image of Americanism, we are relying more on regional identities, especially Southern, as the white Southern man is pretty much the SJWs' image of the Devil. I'd like to see the old-school Yankee patriot make a return, and not just in some kitschy "ye olde farm" kind of way, but as living thing for the regular folks of the North.

I'm a fan of JP Holding for that purpose. He addresses a lot of common atheistic objections with both Biblical and scholarly analysis. What gets called barbaric in the OT is not so when put into cultural and material context. Our modern Islamic experience is definitely showing the wisdom of putting an entire people to the sword.

Also addresses some common Christian errors, since Biblical misinterpretation also comes from sloppy preachers and wolves in sheep's clothing.

> It makes me feel a bit like Abraham to bargain with this crowd by pointing out the good people in NYC, but it's absolutely true that a lot of good people would die in a New York attack.

There are good people everywhere. I know lots of good people who just happen to be coal miners and are out of work thanks to the voters of NYC and California who gave us Obama.

> Should an attack come, I would ask you all to pray for us.

That we can do.

> I have lived elsewhere for a good portion of my adult life, but now I am here for the indefinite future.

Your make the choice, you live with the results. None of us are going to be bombing NYC anytime soon. Just don't expect us to care when someone else does.

> .... even the most hard-hearted rebels among you has to realize that a catastrophic attack on New York would not only kill people, but destroy billions or even trillions of dollars of infrastructure as well.

Yeah. And crash the stock markets. Let me repeat this, just so you understand: We ... don't ... care.

> That's your infrastructure too, because it would be rebuilt at great cost to everyone else in the country (and given our monetary policies, perhaps the world as well). So even if you don't care about our lives, at least care about your future wallet.

Assuming the country is in any position to do so, perhaps. That's not a given.

Not all churches are gun-free zones. We're quiet about it but like @48's church, you're pretty much guaranteed that there's somebody concealed carrying in the congregation even though we're in liberal-land near DC. Of course the point of concealed carry is that nobody knows you're armed, so you're not going to find that kind of information emblazoned on the church website.

@34 Jourdan I can tell you all as a matter of hard, cold fact that there is NO stomach here in Washington for shutting down the flow of refugees. There is constituent-driven opposition, but it is for public relations purposes only. Everyone here knows that there will be no real stoppage of the flow, especially after last night's appearance in a conference call with the White House of the following religious leaders speaking out against any stoppage:

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Chairman Bishop Eusebio Elizondo:

"46. Blogger Gapeseed November 19, 2015 11:19 AM ...And even if you don't care about me all that much, think of it this way - even the most hard-hearted rebels among you has to realize that a catastrophic attack on New York would not only kill people, but destroy billions or even trillions of dollars of infrastructure as well. That's your infrastructure too, because it would be rebuilt at great cost to everyone else in the country (and given our monetary policies, perhaps the world as well). So even if you don't care about our lives, at least care about your future wallet...."

Are you saying that New York City doesn't have the wealth to rebuild? That it would need help? Really? I find that admission surprising. NYC must not be so great then.

And are you saying that the rest of the county would willingly pay to rebuild NYC? Really? I don't think they would. I think most of any money NYC got to rebuild would be gotten from the fedgov which is tax money. That's not charity, that's legal theft.

What you wrote in that paragraph is actually implied extortion. I would even use the word threat to describe it. You're also projecting and telling us exactly where your faith is, money.

Now do you maybe kinda sorta understand why folks in flyover country don't like people from places like NYC? You try to sound conciliatory and come off making a threat while also proving how shallow you are.

Please please repent before the hammer falls. This is likely the last chance you will get.

@40. Jack AmokHow come the refugees are not settled in places like Martha's Vineyard, Manhattan and Boston? That will end the refugee relocation quickly.

@70. pancakeloachIn Texas, you can conceal carry in a church, unless it is posted with the legally required sign. The complicating factor is the presence of a school in the premises. In which case, you will need a written permission from the competent authority. I am not a lawyer, BTW. Double check the actual law for yourselves.

What infrastructure in NYC would need to be rebuilt? Columbia University? Harlem? The Statue of Immigration? Wall Street? All those skyscrapers? Six story walk up apartments? Greenwich Village? The subways? What does any of that do for the rest of the country? The only infrastructure that mattered to the rest of us were the docks and the factories, which have all disappeared.

Paul Robin Krugman is an American economist, Distinguished Professor of Economics at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, and an op-ed columnist for The New York Times.

If yo live in new York, be weary, be very weary, until you make money like bandits. Good luck, y'all.

Terrorists and Alienshttp://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/11/17/terrorists-and-aliens/?module=BlogPost-Title&version=Blog%20Main&contentCollection=Opinion&action=Click&pgtype=Blogs&region=Body

(snip)The Great Depression wasn’t ended by the intellectual victory of Keynesian economics; in fact, the publication of The General Theory was followed by the great mistake of 1937, when FDR tried to balance the budget too soon and send the U.S. economy into a severe recession. What put a decisive end to the slump was World War II, which led to deficit spending on a scale that was politically impossible before.

This story is what led me to facetiously suggest that we fake a threat from space aliens, to provide a politically acceptable cover for stimulus.

Now France has been attacked, unfortunately by real terrorists instead of fake aliens, and Hollande is declaring that security must take precedence over austerity. Is this the start of something big?

OK, obligatory disclaimer that will do no good in the face of the stupidity. I am NOT saying that terrorism is a good thing, just as those of us who point to wartime fiscal stimulus aren’t saying that World War II was a good thing. (Don’t kill baby Hitler — we need him to justify stimulus!) We’re just trying to think through some side effects of the atrocity.(snip)

You may not like it, but I say New York gets rebuilt and probably comprehensively not as a threat of any sort, but as an inevitability. Hamburg, Warsaw, St. Petersburg, Tokyo, London, Stalingrad, Berlin, New Orleans, San Francisco, Hiroshima and Nagasaki were all rebuilt for cultural and economic reasons in the last two hundred years. New York is a fine natural harbor and, for better or worse, has a cultural hold on the entire world. I'd probably be long dead before the rebuilt was anywhere near completed, but it would be rebuilt, and in most scenarios, on contributions from contributors to this board.

Some of you may not care about NYC being attacked, but you should hope it doesn't happen at the Thanksgiving Parade.

There will be high school bands from Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Indiana, as well as from universities from Virginia and Texas. It's not like these kids have any choice in the matter, they're in the band, their band was chosen, they have to go.

We need an Enemies of Representative Democracy list, constantly updated and entirely public, so that they will know that we know that they're using their wealth and connections to convince our representatives to go against our express will.

VD: "But it would be a genuine pleasure to never ever hear anything about New York City, the Yankees, the Mets, Wall Street, the Knicks, Central Park, Jerry Seinfeld, etc ever again. Seriously, even Romans, even Londoners, even PARISIANS are less obnoxious all the time."

I don't live anywhere near there, but I would miss the Mets. I want to see that rotation grow up - and hey, they've got a guy so Nordic that his nickname is "Thor" (100 mph fastball doesn't hurt either)!

Gapeseed is right. There are good people there, and believe it or not there are some positive trends for the long term. I hope any Ilk are both situationally aware and lucky. I get that choices aren't easy to undo, and I will care if things go very sideways. But Gnon doesn't. The bullseye is already painted, and the policies are being put in place.

G'Kar: "The avalanche has already started, it is too late for the pebbles to vote."

Good news? New York won't be wiped out; it would take plural nukes (NYC haters can try it!). But it's very possible that good people will die. The Islamic 30 Years War is ginning up to go global, with Europe as the pivotal battlefield. And NYC will be getting the special it has ordered for so long:

And are you saying that the rest of the county would willingly pay to rebuild NYC? Really?

Even the "good" New Yorkers are obnoxious, self-absorbed narcissists. Even Gapespeed comes across as one, oblivious to the tone of how important NYC is that saturates his whiny screed about the place.

Seriously, NYC is the butthole of the country. I'm not interested in exploring it, and I'm not interested in anything that comes from there, and it needs a VERY thorough cleaning. I volunteer the waves of "Syrian" "refugees" to do the job—let's just house them all right there downtown. Why wouldn't that be for the best for everyone? It's the greatest place on earth according to the people who live there, and their multi-culti pluralism is an important part of their identity, and besides, they could probably use a few hundred thousand more taxi drivers who don't speak any English.

@85 Gaiseric: Funny, I don't recall extolling the virtues of New York (other than perhaps my own residency and that of a few good people), and that for the sole purpose of causing pause to people who might want to celebrate the destruction of my home.

I listed quite a few major cities that were partially or completely destroyed and then rebuilt. Now perhaps the United States breaks apart, in which case you might not foot the bill for a rebuild. But under the current system, you probably would in some way. And unless New York gets salted like Carthage (but with radioactivity), people would rebuild. A deep water Atlantic port at the mouth of a major river will always get rebuilt. The largest city of an empire would, assuming the empire stands, always get rebuilt. It's not prescriptive - it's descriptive and, really, axiomatic, regardless of whether either of us agrees with the outcome.

It's not like these kids have any choice in the matter, they're in the band, their band was chosen, they have to go.

I was in high school band for a year. Then the band director decided to have practices an hour before school, and my parents weren't about to drive me that far every day, so I quit. If the band couldn't force me to go 11 miles, I'm pretty sure it couldn't have forced me to go to New York City.

Gapespeed, I don't wish ill on any innocent people, even New Yorkers. But your plea reads like a man announcing that he lives in the jungle and refuses to use mosquito netting, so he's asking everyone to pray that he not get malaria.

And unless New York gets salted like Carthage (but with radioactivity), people would rebuild.

No wonder Nanny Bloomers banned salt in NYC.

I'm going to WAG that each of these groups is getting a lot of $$$ from the government to pretend to help these rags.

Almost all of their funding comes from the taxpayers. This is covered at Refugee Resettlement Watch

You may not like it, but I say New York gets rebuilt ...an inevitability.... has a cultural hold on the entire world. ..."

Who did Martin Luther say planed to socialize failure? Crony capitalism understood for 500+years. Hey mooooslems Mayor De Blasé has been drawing pics of Moohammad.

> New Orleans ... rebuilt for cultural and economic reasons in the last two hundred years.

The levies that failed in Katrina had recently been worked on by affirmative action workers with 2 people from the army core of engineers. It was affirmative action construction that destroyed the city.

How come the refugees are not settled in places like Martha's Vineyard, Manhattan and Boston?

Oh, but you see, the people who live in those places are already right-thinking progressives who know - without having to be very close to them - how wonderful the refugees are. It's just us bigoted conservatives who need to bask in the glow of these sainted refugees so we can learn that they're just like us, only better.

It's not the land that is the issue here

There is a very nice harbor. It'll come in handy again some day, when the economic ignoramuses who dominate NYC are out of power and we actually have manufactured goods to export again.

Gapeseed, we don't believe in Magic Dirt. And we don't believe in Cursed Dirt. It's not the land that is the issue here.

@87 VD - Vox, the conversation has drifted and I might be misunderstanding the concept of Magic Dirt, and if I am, please forgive. I understand the theory to be is that the magic in the dirt will transform the people. What I am saying is that the people will transform the land, and it doesn't matter which people. As Jack Amok said, it's a very nice harbor. Up the Hudson sits some very fertile farmland. Up further still, old manufacturing infrastructure connected by canals. Even a nuclear hit on Manhattan wouldn't change that. Throw in cultural and historical significance, and you've got a nice fixer-upper on your hands.

The dirt might not be magical, but it will always be valuable. Liberals understand that, which is why they not only try to grab institutions, but infrastructure as well.

No amount of bombs dropping in the Middle East is going to deal with the threat to the West. "Fight them there so we don't have to fight them here" has proven to be the complete failure I said it would be back in 2001.

This point simply cannot be stressed enough.

McCain just used this formulation, again, on the Senate floor. He should have been crucified for it.

@97 - Cail - I suppose you're right - there is probably some cohort of people who would not take advantage of the land. My implicit assumption is a cross-section of the mid-Atlantic, which I think could easily develop New York into an amazing and productive post-apocalyptic investment opportunity.

It's coming:Three Syrians arrested in St Maarten arriving from Haiti with false Greek passportshttp://www.caribbeannewsnow.com/headline-Three-Syrians-arrested-in-St-Maarten-arriving-from-Haiti-with-false-Greek-passports-28346.htmlHonduras detains Syrians bound for U.S. with doctored Greek passportshttp://www.reuters.com/article/2015/11/19/us-france-shooting-honduras-idUSKCN0T72UE20151119Eight Syrian refugees turned themselves in to immigration authorities along the Texas-Mexico border this week, officials said Thursday.http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Syrians-Arrested-Trying-to-Cross-Texas-Border-Report-351721471.htmlThat's 16 people caught over the course of a few days. How many made (or will make) it through?

If NYC was leveled, there'd be no reason to rebuild on the scale that exists today. New York became prominent because it was where agricultural products from the Hudson River Valley were moved from riverboats to ocean-going ships. As a major port, it became rich but now they have no docks. They were turned into landfills and then into real estate. The stock exchange was established there because that's where the gold and silver changed hands was in the 1840s, but in the digital age, the NYSE could just as easily be set up in Tennessee. So could the publishing industry be run from Kansas and the bagel industry from Wyoming. All New York really has going for it is inertia. Destroy the place and any necessary work done there can and will be done elsewhere. Why rebuild lower Manhattan at an extraordinary cost when you can move to an undamaged building in Boston or some other city?

And I'd settle for the leveling of Wall Street and environs. It's not Queens or Staten Island that that suck the life out of the country.

96 praetorian Fighting them over there would work if we actually had been fighting them over there. As I have said over and over at several blogs, you win against islim only by wholesale killing of families and tribes. Making nice with islim only convinces its practitioners that you are afraid and weak.

34 JourdanNice to have another list of people to add to the drone-targeting program, heh, heh.

@101 Discard - Destroying Wall Street would be symbolic and largely counterproductive. Even discounting the value of lives lost, the banks you correctly cite as having distributed data functionality also have distributed leadership. The only thing you might accomplish in Wall Street's destruction is destroying a large horde of gold, which scuttlebutt has stored still somewhere on Manhattan (one rumor I heard was that it was beneath a building devastated by Hurricane Sandy, causing all sorts of headaches in the cleanup). It would be a Goldfinger move to theoretically increase the price of gold, although I don't know how commodity markets might be disrupted in the resulting chaos.

In terms of docks, while you are correct in saying Manhattan proper no longer loads and unloads vast quantities of cargo via container ship, the Port of New York still does on the Jersey side. Besides, that kind of infrastructure is pretty easy to rebuild, and while it would take a long time to rebuild Manhattan completely, the impetus to make it a functional economic area immediately via shipping would be very strong.